Ryan Couture (2-0 MMA, 2-0 SF) meets the third opponent of his professional career Friday at Strikeforce Challengers 16 – his eighth if you include his amateur fights.

He’ll tell you he’s a work in progress, despite being weaned on combat sports by some of the best names in the business.

As it is, improvement comes in small increments, and goals are met fight-by-fight. When he walks into the cage opposite Matt Ricehouse (4-0 MMA, 2-0 SF) at Kent’s ShoWare Center, he hopes to build on a breakthrough he experienced in his previous fight.

This past February, Couture met Lee Higgins at Strikeforce Challengers 14 and took a bottom-of-the-ninth submission win when he tapped Higgins with a rear-naked choke late in the third round. Physically, it was one of his toughest fights to date. But mentally, it was a different story.

“This last fight was the first time I felt comfortable enough and not had as much of a crazy adrenaline dump and was just acting on instinct,” he told MMAjunkie.com Radio (mmajunkie.com/radio). “I did get to try new things and really have more of a sparring type mentality through most of the fight.”

Fighting with a clear mind undoubtedly helps to adjust to all the little swings in momentum and pace during a fight, and keeps the gas tank running longer. It’s a part of the game that can’t really be taught; experience is the only way to learn.

And at this point in his career, learning is of the utmost importance for Couture. But like any endeavor, learning is not always a linear process. It sometimes happens in fits and starts, and setbacks shadow improvements.

There are two challenges facing Couture as he goes into Friday’s bout. One, there’s not a tremendous amount of footage on his opponent. That’s not uncommon for newer fighters, and it forces them to be a bit more general in gameplan. Two, he’s fighting literally in his backyard; over 100 friends and family will be in attendance at the event. It figures; his old high school is a mere half-hour away.

And let’s not forget that his dad, UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, is in his corner.

“Hopefully, I’ll be able to maintain that going forward,” Ryan said of his newfound relaxation. “I put on a much better performance.”

But he’ll have to wait and see when he gets in there. As to what he expects on Friday, it’s not too far from the way he sees himself in competition.

“We’re very long and lanky, and best on the ground, but pretty good standing up, too,” Ryan Couture said. “I think it makes for a comparable matchup, but it’s going to come down to who’s a little bit tighter and who leaves less openings on Friday, and I think that’s going to be me.”

With the Strikeforce Challengers’ series permanently headed to Las Vegas – where Ryan and Randy Couture reside – this summer, it may help Ryan feel more comfortable in the cage moving forward. Having your entire team in your corner and in the stands is not a bad army to bring to a fight. It might give him a boost to try new things.

That’s the hope, anyway.

“Every time I say I want to give the striking a try – I spend so much time on it and I never really get to show it off,” Ryan said. “Sometimes I get to do a little bit of that; sometimes I get cracked in the face and dropped and put on my back. Things happen where you’re just reacting to the situation. I’m hoping going forward that I’ll be able to control the adrenaline enough to do what I want to do and think my way through the whole fight.”

MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by Gorgeous George, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Goze. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

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